Acupuncture Effect and Omics Studies

Call for Papers

Acupuncture makes an important contribution to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and patients report that it is effective in relieving many symptoms of disease. Scientific evidence of its effectiveness is increasing, and it is receiving increasing acceptance in Western countries.

The efficacy of acupuncture in the regulation of critical functional genes has been reported in the treatment of diseases. Recent studies have shown that the therapeutic effects of acupuncture involve various cellular protein factors or signal transduction pathways which are associated with inflammatory responses, redox regulation, and apoptosis. Some selected molecular markers and subjective parameters have been used to interpret the mechanisms of this therapy; however, many of the mechanisms underlying acupuncture remain obscure.

In recent years, the omic technologies including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics/metabonomics, and brain connectomics have been extensively used in acupuncture studies. With these techniques, it seems possible that the holistic and personalized TCM and the postgenomic Western medicine, which is striving for greater personalisation and holistic and preemptive approaches, have finally found a common ground. Studies using “omics” and systems biology approaches should be particularly helpful for generating new hypotheses on mechanisms for the effects of acupuncture.

We invite investigators to contribute original research articles as well as review articles that will stimulate continuing efforts to understand the physiological mechanisms of acupuncture in various diseases using “omics” approaches. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

Physiological and biophysical basis of the efficacy of acupuncture treatment

Application of “omics” approaches and systems biology in acupuncture research

Changes and connection of brain regions in response to acupuncture stimulations using brain connectomics